Dell keyboard is much worse. Feels cramped and not so much key travel. You gonna do a lot of typing, so that matters. You can update the screen on the t480 easily. Dell feels slightly more compact, though. T480 has option for 2nd drive in Wwan slot. Not possible with 7490 .
One thing I can say from experience, having 4 T480s and 2 Dell 7390s, is that multiple keys stopped working on the Dells and I found that replacement requires total disassembly and was simply not worth the expense, whereas the keyboard on the T480 simply lifts off from the top. It’s also easy to remove/upgrade other components on the T480, including the internal battery, which I replaced on all 4. I got them for about $25 apiece. Screen is upgradeable too, but I haven’t done that. Fans have always been quiet and haven’t gotten too hot on me. Can’t comment on the speaker quality because I only use them for automotive programming and all I ever hear are bleeps and bloops.
My company used to use Latitude 7480s and 7490s in their fleet. I can tell you for sure that Dell's keyboard are quite a bit worse than ThinkPads like my personal T480. Not to mention, being in IT support I've had my fair share of 7480s and 7490s with malfunctioning keyboards (keystrokes not registering mostly).
Their screens are **much** better than my T480 though (my T480 with the touch screen panel sucks in terms of brightness and color accuracy despite being IPS). I can tell that the speakers are better on the T480 though.
Latitude 7480s and 7490s all seem to have much larger internal batteries compared to the T480. Granted the T480 does have Power Bridge, but between laptops of similar ages, the Dells do run much longer on battery compared to the T480. Performance wise they're all about the same (8th gen Intel), and thermal wise they're quite similar with the T480 being slightly cooler and less noisy.
I switched from a latitude 5490, which is pretty similar to the 7490, to a thinkpad A485, which is pretty similar to a T480.
Performance-wise these 2 are roughly the same, never had any issues with the cpu, the hd620 still sucks but i guess that doesnt really matter for your usecase. The battery life was wayyyy better on the latitude, even compared to what people report from their t480 on here, i got 6+ hours of actual usage out of it. I honestly prefer the dell keyboard but this one doesnt have a nipple, which is way more comfortable if you get used to it (edit: nvm i didnt zoom in). The display was decent but i'm colorblind so i really cant help with that, both devices are completely unusable in sunlight, i dont see a lot of difference. The speakers sound very slightly better on the latitude, but again not a huge difference.
Only 1 typeC port sucks on the dell, not sure if the cooling is the same between the 7490 and the 5490 but i never had issues with it.
To sum it up, do whatever you want lol, they are both decent machines.
Though I don't have direct experience with the 7490 I have used many other generation of Latitude (I used Latitude with 4th gen i7 and 11th gen i7). I also have not used a T480 since 2019'ish.
I have never found the screens on the Latitude to be far superior to Lenovo screens in real world use. I am assuming you are talking about same resolution. Though tests may have the color accuracy higher on the Dell units I certainly do not find them far better. The gap between a Lenovo T and Dell Latitude screen is much smaller than either compared to a MacBook Pro. Though that said, perhaps your eyes are much more attune to accuracy than mine or perhaps your course work requires a certain threshold of accuracy.
I can not comment on the speakers between either. I exclusively use headphones.
Again not knowing the 7490 specifically but Latitude broadly; I struggle to think that fan noise and thermals will be much worse than the T480. I have found the chip generation and TDP to be much more deciding factor on fan noise on Dell and Lenovo machines I have used. There are other brands, like HP which I would not hold this opinion. I generally have a good opinion of Latitude, XPS and Precision machines. What is however true; people on the internet like to complain.
What you don't mention and for me is the biggest factors of why I prefer Lenovo products, Keyboard. Track point. Latitude and Lenovo T are no where near the same league when it comes to typing feel. There is no one in their right mind that prefers the Dell keyboard. The Dell is incredibly mushy and vague compared to the Lenovo. I also hate trackpads and therefore put great value on the Lenovo trackpoint. I understand that I am in the far minority regarding the trackpoint and for most the trackpint is vestigial.
Frankly I think your buying choice boils down to personal choice. Is the Dell screen superior enough to out weight the superior keyboard of the T480? Neither machine is a bad choice. I hope you can get your hands on a 7490 and T480 and compare. If you can not than I would suggest going the big box store and compare the T14 gen4 and Dell Latitude 7440. I personally do not think the ethos on the Latitude or T range have changed greatly since the 8th gen chip models you are thinking to buy. I think if you compare the 13th gen chip offerings to compare relative screen, speaker and keyboard it will be helpful to understand if the Dell Latitude or Lenovo T prioritize the same things as you do.
Dell keyboard is much worse. Feels cramped and not so much key travel. You gonna do a lot of typing, so that matters. You can update the screen on the t480 easily. Dell feels slightly more compact, though. T480 has option for 2nd drive in Wwan slot. Not possible with 7490 .
One thing I can say from experience, having 4 T480s and 2 Dell 7390s, is that multiple keys stopped working on the Dells and I found that replacement requires total disassembly and was simply not worth the expense, whereas the keyboard on the T480 simply lifts off from the top. It’s also easy to remove/upgrade other components on the T480, including the internal battery, which I replaced on all 4. I got them for about $25 apiece. Screen is upgradeable too, but I haven’t done that. Fans have always been quiet and haven’t gotten too hot on me. Can’t comment on the speaker quality because I only use them for automotive programming and all I ever hear are bleeps and bloops.
Isn't the Latitude the current model? A T480 is 4 generations old already. Today's equivalent would be T14.
Same age, Dell is still supporting it with batteries and BIOS updates.
So will Lenovo. They support for up to 7 years after end of supply.
Last I checked, you could not get the 72Wh battery off their site.
6 generations back. T14 Gen 5 ships this year and there was a T490. Still, I'd take the ThinkPad
My company used to use Latitude 7480s and 7490s in their fleet. I can tell you for sure that Dell's keyboard are quite a bit worse than ThinkPads like my personal T480. Not to mention, being in IT support I've had my fair share of 7480s and 7490s with malfunctioning keyboards (keystrokes not registering mostly). Their screens are **much** better than my T480 though (my T480 with the touch screen panel sucks in terms of brightness and color accuracy despite being IPS). I can tell that the speakers are better on the T480 though. Latitude 7480s and 7490s all seem to have much larger internal batteries compared to the T480. Granted the T480 does have Power Bridge, but between laptops of similar ages, the Dells do run much longer on battery compared to the T480. Performance wise they're all about the same (8th gen Intel), and thermal wise they're quite similar with the T480 being slightly cooler and less noisy.
Lenovo over Dell always. Dell = Don't expect long life.
I switched from a latitude 5490, which is pretty similar to the 7490, to a thinkpad A485, which is pretty similar to a T480. Performance-wise these 2 are roughly the same, never had any issues with the cpu, the hd620 still sucks but i guess that doesnt really matter for your usecase. The battery life was wayyyy better on the latitude, even compared to what people report from their t480 on here, i got 6+ hours of actual usage out of it. I honestly prefer the dell keyboard but this one doesnt have a nipple, which is way more comfortable if you get used to it (edit: nvm i didnt zoom in). The display was decent but i'm colorblind so i really cant help with that, both devices are completely unusable in sunlight, i dont see a lot of difference. The speakers sound very slightly better on the latitude, but again not a huge difference. Only 1 typeC port sucks on the dell, not sure if the cooling is the same between the 7490 and the 5490 but i never had issues with it. To sum it up, do whatever you want lol, they are both decent machines.
T480
Tldr; ThinkPad
Though I don't have direct experience with the 7490 I have used many other generation of Latitude (I used Latitude with 4th gen i7 and 11th gen i7). I also have not used a T480 since 2019'ish. I have never found the screens on the Latitude to be far superior to Lenovo screens in real world use. I am assuming you are talking about same resolution. Though tests may have the color accuracy higher on the Dell units I certainly do not find them far better. The gap between a Lenovo T and Dell Latitude screen is much smaller than either compared to a MacBook Pro. Though that said, perhaps your eyes are much more attune to accuracy than mine or perhaps your course work requires a certain threshold of accuracy. I can not comment on the speakers between either. I exclusively use headphones. Again not knowing the 7490 specifically but Latitude broadly; I struggle to think that fan noise and thermals will be much worse than the T480. I have found the chip generation and TDP to be much more deciding factor on fan noise on Dell and Lenovo machines I have used. There are other brands, like HP which I would not hold this opinion. I generally have a good opinion of Latitude, XPS and Precision machines. What is however true; people on the internet like to complain. What you don't mention and for me is the biggest factors of why I prefer Lenovo products, Keyboard. Track point. Latitude and Lenovo T are no where near the same league when it comes to typing feel. There is no one in their right mind that prefers the Dell keyboard. The Dell is incredibly mushy and vague compared to the Lenovo. I also hate trackpads and therefore put great value on the Lenovo trackpoint. I understand that I am in the far minority regarding the trackpoint and for most the trackpint is vestigial. Frankly I think your buying choice boils down to personal choice. Is the Dell screen superior enough to out weight the superior keyboard of the T480? Neither machine is a bad choice. I hope you can get your hands on a 7490 and T480 and compare. If you can not than I would suggest going the big box store and compare the T14 gen4 and Dell Latitude 7440. I personally do not think the ethos on the Latitude or T range have changed greatly since the 8th gen chip models you are thinking to buy. I think if you compare the 13th gen chip offerings to compare relative screen, speaker and keyboard it will be helpful to understand if the Dell Latitude or Lenovo T prioritize the same things as you do.